The Affordable Connectivity Program is a vital Band-Aid, not a cure

Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP) broadband benefits are set to halt at the end of May, leaving millions of families with a difficult choice to make. For the sake of 60 million Americans who depend on ACP, the program must be renewed. But we can’t stop there. Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) called the US “the standard bearer for high-speed internet connectivity”, lauding the US sector as more competitive than its European peers. In reality, the US has some of the world’s highest internet prices, thanks to years of industry consolidation, anti-consumer practices, and corporate lobbying to block competition. Studies consistently show Europeans pay about half what Americans do for the same level of service. High prices keep people offline. While ACP is essential to limit the number of families being pushed off the digital precipice, it doesn’t address the broken nature of a sector which has left over 80 million Americans with only one choice of provider. Getting to the root of the problem means changing the way broadband is built and shaping a more competitive sector. A growing number of communities are building their own solutions in the form of municipal and community-owned networks, co-ops, and public private partnerships.